Bakers Journal October 2017 : Page 30

¦ Final proof ¦ BY JANE DUMMER, RD FOOD SAFETY From recalls to FSMA, food safety is under the looking glass. Let’s take a look at the latest in revolutionary technology that ensure food’s safe. W Jane Dummer, RD (www.janedummer.com), known as the Pod to Plate Food Consultant, collaborates and partners with the food and nutrition industry across North America. www.bakersjournal.com 30 BAKERS JOURNAL / OCTOBER 2017 PHOTO CREDIT: FOTOLIA ith consumers’ changing eating habits, the implementation of the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the number of recalls over the past few years including the most recent one for wheat flour, the baking industry is looking at food safety through a magnifying lens to address these changes. In the baking industry, dust-borne pathogens including salmonella, e. coli and listeria, have always been a concern. The California almond community conducted research over a nine-year period and learned there is a low level presence of salmon-ella in the soil across In the baking industry, dust-borne the California almond pathogens including salmonella, e. coli growing region, and listeria, have always been a concern. regardless of location, soil type, growing validated to address the risk of pathogens practices or age of orchard. In 2007, The California almond industry implemented and unwanted microbes in seeds, grains, nuts, and sprouted foods without a regulation requiring pasteurization for California almonds shipped within North impacting the taste, gluten structure or nutritional value of the product. Wong America. Traditional methods include explains: “It’s derived from plants and blanching, roasting, and steaming. The applied directly onto foods as a liquid industry decided to pasteurize almonds solution. After destroying pathogens like as they felt they had a responsibility to salmonella and e. coli o121 it completely provide a safe, pathogen-free, nutritious biodegrades, so food is kept raw, organic, food product, reported the Almond and viable. Neo-Pure is a preventative Board of California in “The “Raw” Deal: pathogen control that helps companies Facts about Almond Pasteurization” meet FSMA’s risk assessment require-(www.almonds.com/consumers/ ments, and improves food safety, which about-almonds/food-safety). diminishes the likelihood of recalls.” As a seasoned, international food “The baking industry faces the same safety expert, Irwin Pronk, principal advisor at Toronto area based-HACCP by safety concerns as the rest of the food industry,” says Wong. “And while bakers Design, says “With more raw baking have traditionally utilized heat as their ingredients in granola bars and energy pathogen kill step, changes in food bites, the industry needs to gather, trends driven by health-conscious conduct research and identify the best consumers are forcing the industry to systems to guarantee a 5-log reduction look at new methods of pathogen among the potential pathogens. Then be control. This includes the increasing use able to validate the best practices for of ingredients in their raw form. For ingredients including nuts, grains and example, walnuts sprinkled on the top of seeds. We’re in a gap based on a few } factors, therefore, the baking industry needs to model how the almond industry responded after the salmonella out-breaks. The idea is to identify any opportunity for food safety improve-ments along the entire supply chain to reduce the risk of contamination that will equal overall total improvements. Then recommend reduction processes that can be validated but don’t change the taste, nutrition and functionality of common baking components, including gluten.” Food safety was a popular topic at the Institute of Food Technology (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo I attended in Las Vegas at the end of June. At the meeting I had the opportunity to meet Robert Wong, president and COO of Agri-Neo. Wong’s company developed Neo-Pure, a revolutionary organic, non-thermal food safety solution that is a cake are added after the baking process, and from a food safety perspective, they never pass through a heat step. At Agri-Neo, we are actively expanding the types of products and ingredients Neo-Pure is validated on for pathogen control and this includes wheat flour.” Agri-Neo’s base system starts under $500k. Dianne Donaldson, product develop-ment manager at Everspring Farms (a BRC certified company) located in Seaforth, Ont., selected the Neo-Pure system to lower the risk of having a pathogen present in the grain and seed products they produce. Donaldson explains: “The system adapts to a wide variety of grains and seeds which was important for us since we produce over 20 different sprouted grains and seeds. It’s important that this system can be used for organically certified products and the process doesn’t alter the sensory profile of the seed or grain. It was also a lower initial capital cost compared to alternative microbial reduction options. Not only does this improve our food safety system, it has also been a great benefit for our customers in assuring them they are sourcing the best quality ingredients.” / BJ